It seems like blasphemy to say anything bad about Dio since the man, Ronnie James Dio, is legend having attainted ‘metal god’ status. However, I must speak my mind about the new Dio album MASTER OF THE MOON. After the last Dio album, KILLING THE DRAGON, I thought things were back on course with more upbeat tracks instead of the plodding, mind-numbing, doom that overtook Dio’s discography for much of the 90’s. I do “like” albums such as ANGRY MACHINES, STRANGE HIGHWAYS and especially LOCK OF THE WOLVES, but I do not think they represent the best Dio material. His best material is from HOLY DIVER, DREAM EVIL, Rainbow, and Sabbath’s HEAVEN AND HELL. So if you happen to share the same opinion, then you’ll probably feel a little let down with MASTER OF THE MOON.

For my tastes, the songs on here that stand out are the “rockers”. They are not fast songs, but seem so when compared to the plodding ones. The upbeat rockers are “One More for the Road” and “Living the Lie”. That’s pretty much it…most of the rest of the album puts me to sleep. There are moments where I am awakened in tracks like “Death By Love” or “In Dreams”. The rest doesn’t do much for me, and some songs run into one another with similar riffs and tempos…and this is after I’ve spun the album at least 20 times! The only thing that saves the album, and elevates my score to a 3/5, is the fact that Ronnie James Dio’s voice is a 5/5! So even on what is otherwise a crappy song, his vocals and melodies help save the album to some degree.

This is not a come back album for Dio, that was KILLING THE DRAGON, and if you missed it, check it out! If you find yourself in the minority of Dio fans who mainly love Dio’s slow plodding stuff, this will be a comeback album for you. Ultimately, Dio can play what he wants and has to please himself first and foremost…and he deserves to as he’s earned it. For those of us not so much into the slower material, there is plenty of back catalog material to listen to and Dio’s live set seems to focus more on the material most fans appreciate.

Track Listing

1. One More For The Road
2. Master Of The Moon
3. The End Of The World
4. Shivers
5. The Man Who Would Be King
6. The Eyes
7. Living The Lie
8. I Am
9. Death By Love
10. In Dreams